There is a “legend of Kappa” in Jozankei hot springs. And Kappa is a mascot of Jozankei. “Kappa road” was named for “Kappa” and also there is a “Kappa” designed drinking fountain. Do you know there is a openwork “Kappa” on handrail of Tsukimi-bridge over Toyohira River? Fairy tale kappa statues which are seen everywhere in the hotspring town are based on ideas given by residents of Sapporo, and made by sculptors from both inside and outside of Hokkaido . Enjoy walking, guessing what kind of “kappa” you will run into…

The origin of Kappa pool

Until the Choshiguchi hydroelectric power plant was built in 1908, the water flow of the Toyohira River was big enough to wash out logs (for straight-grained boards) of the interior of the mountain down the river. There were also many big river fishes inhabited everywhere in the deep channels. Around that time, there was a young boy, named a Mr. Seyama, who was working for road works. When he was fishing by one of the deep pools of the river, all of sudden he was sucked down into the bottom of the river, even though he did not miss his footing. Villagers who were working to wash out the logs down the river saw the boy being sucked into the river,and immediately jumped into the river to try to rescue him. But the river was so deep that they could not rescue him, and at the end the days passed without being able to find the boy. A year later, on the night of the first memorial service for the boy, the young boy appeared in his father’s dream and said, “I am living happily with a water goblin wife and a child.” The most handsome boy in the village was probably charmed by the goblin wife living in the river. Since then, the area has been called as the goblin’s pool, and there has been no one who goes missing.